Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: I Wish I Were Black! As a teacher of 5th grade students, I try to make sure that my students have a good sense of all the people and cultures that make up this country. Last couple weeks, I paid special attention to the African American people who have made significant contributions to the US. We read a book written by Walter Dean Myers. We have studied scientists, writers, and political figures. Students were very engaged and interested in the content. Yesterday something happened that puzzled me. Three of my White students told me that they wished they were Black. This was not my intention when I planned all my lessons on contributions of African Americans. How should I address this issue? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would first have a discussion with the students to find out why they wished they were black. It may be the case that they are simply wanting some attention and that it has no relevance to the unit. If they say this as a result of finding out all the interesting facts, then simply explain to them that each culture group has unique and useful contributions and no one culture is more important than the other. Hopefully the idea of being proud of your own culture will come out of this discussion.                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: Highlighting that no culture is more important than another is the best way to handle this. The student may be confused about what they have just said and the teacher should clear up any confusion they have. Rated On: October 17, 2014 8:25 pm Rated By: MaXuDe